What to plant in March in the Northeast and Midwest

Worked out for 67 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in March in the Northeast and Midwest, by zone: frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Wichita, Dodge City and 1 more): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, radish and 22 more; frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (New York, Philadelphia and 22 more): beet, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, celeriac and 6 more; frost possible, highs below 50 °F (Chicago, Boston and 38 more): broad bean, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, Swiss chard and 14 more.

In the Northeast and Midwest, March is spring.

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Wichita, Dodge City and Joplin

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 62 °F and lows of 37 to 42 °F, 1.5 to 4.5 in of rain on 6 to 11 days; the day lasts 11 h 55 min (on the 15th).

March falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Joplin (March 30).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, beet, arugula, chamomile, daikon, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Sweet Corn, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, luffa, Napa cabbage, peanut	Joplin
sow direct	Parsley, cilantro, chickpea, kohlrabi	Wichita and Joplin
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all

Compared with February: new — peas, onion, radish, cabbage, sweet corn, cilantro, daikon, dill and 9 more; no longer sown — cauliflower.

Not starting in March: zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and spinach (no month outdoors by these rules) — dates for Dodge City.

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, St. Louis and 20 more

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 51 to 60 °F and lows of 32 to 40 °F, 2.5 to 5.3 in of rain on 7 to 13 days; the day lasts 11 h 53 min to 11 h 54 min (on the 15th).

March falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Atlantic City (March 29).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, arugula, chamomile, daikon	New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City and 8 more
plant sets	Onion, shallot	New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City and 8 more
sow direct	Carrot, broccoli	Cincinnati and Atlantic City
start indoors, plant out in April	Cauliflower	Pittsburgh and Atlantic City
start indoors, plant out in April or sow direct	Beet	New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City and 19 more
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Parsley	Pittsburgh and Atlantic City
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Kohlrabi	New York, Philadelphia, Columbus and 16 more
sow direct	Dill, mustard greens	Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati and 4 more
sow direct	Kale, parsnip	New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and 3 more
sow direct	Turnip	New York, Philadelphia, Trenton and 2 more

Compared with February: new — peas, onion, radish, carrot, broccoli, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant and 9 more; no longer sown — Brussels sprouts.

Not starting in March: zucchini (April, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Harrisburg.

Frost possible, highs below 50 °F: Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit and 36 more

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 38 to 50 °F and lows of 19 to 33 °F, 0.9 to 4.5 in of rain on 6 to 16 days; the day lasts 11 h 50 min to 11 h 53 min (on the 15th).

March falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait.

How	What	Where
start indoors, plant out in April	Broad bean	Chicago, Boston, Detroit and 31 more
sow direct	Peas, radish	Cleveland, Providence, Hartford and 1 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Spinach	Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee and 19 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Lettuce, kohlrabi	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Cabbage, Brussels sprouts	Cleveland, Portland, Maine, Montpelier and 4 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Cauliflower	Chicago, Boston, Detroit and 30 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Swiss Chard, beet, arugula, chamomile	Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and 36 more
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and 32 more
start indoors, plant out in May	Parsley	Chicago, Boston, Detroit and 31 more
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Kale	Rochester, Portland, Maine, Augusta and 4 more

Compared with February: new — peas, radish, cauliflower, Swiss chard, beet, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant and 6 more; no longer sown — broccoli.

Not starting in March: zucchini (April, started indoors) and green beans (June, sown direct) — dates for Manchester (United States).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in March and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in March if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

Cornell Cooperative Extension sets the season here: hardy crops from about four weeks before the last frost, warm ones after it, heat lovers about 18 days after; the last plantings from 3 weeks (radish) to 16 weeks (melons) before the first frost — counted from each city’s own frost dates.

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.